Who Is Matthew Todd Miller?

Matthew Todd Miller, a 24-year-old from Bakersfield, Calif., was arrested in April after entering North Korea on a privately-organized tour. According to North Korea’s state media, Mr. Miller ripped up his visa when he arrived in Pyongyang and said that he was seeking asylum. Instead, the North imprisoned him and sentenced him to six years of hard labor, saying that he wanted to become a “second Snowden” by investigating North Korea’s prison system — a reference to Edward Snowden, the U.S. intelligence contractor who became a fugitive after leaking classified government documents.

Mr. Miller, who during a September television interview, said that he was being treated humanely but was being kept in isolation. Mr. Miller’s family has not issued any public statements on his imprisonment, but a Reuters report found that Mr. Miller, whose brother was serving in the U.S. military, based in South Korea, may have sparked his fascination with the country. Mr. Miller came to South Korea and taught English, before seeking to travel to the North.

Who Is Kenneth Bae?

Kenneth Bae, a 46-year-old Korean American from Washington state, was detained during a trip to the Rason area of North Korea, in the northeastern region that borders China and Russia. Mr. Bae, a Christian missionary and tour operator, was detained in early November 2012 and, months later, was sentenced to 15 years hard labor for committing what were described as “hostile acts” against the North Korean government.

Mr. Bae was initially put in a labor camp, but his ailing health – in one interview, he said he had lost significant weight – led the North to move Mr. Bae to a hospital last August. However, after signs of an improvement in his health, he was apparently transferred back to the labor camp.

During an interview with CNN in September, Mr. Bae said he had not been aware of any crime at the time but that he had since apologized for them.